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EA Sports continues their Madden 16 ratings reveal for the top players by position and today they revealed the Outside Linebackers. The top players are as follows:

1. Von Miller: 97 Overall – 93 Block Shedding, 99 Finesse Moves, 89 Power Moves, 94 Tackling, and 98 Pursuit. After missing half of the 2013 season due to a knee injury, Miller came back in 2014 with a vengeance. He is one of the best run stuffing linebackers in the NFL, has a solid pass rush, and can be very good in pass coverage.

2. Justin Houston: 97 Overall – 97 Pursuit, 92 Tackling, 88 Play Recognition, 93 Block Shedding, 98 Power Moves and 89 Finesse Moves. Houston had a fantastic year as he accumulated 22 sacks, a half sack short of the league record. Houston also excels in stopping the run and is underrated in pass coverage. Kansas City did the right thing in locking him up to the most lucrative deal for a linebacker in the history of the NFL.

3. Terrell Suggs: Overall: 93 Overall – 91 Strength, 97 Power Moves, 95 Tackling and 92 Pursuit. Suggs continues to be a model of consistency in the NFL. He is a strong, quick pass rusher who also excels in the running game.

4. Dont’a Hightower: 93 Overall – 86 Zone Coverage, 95 Tackling, 90 Hit Power, and 92 Pursuit. Hightower is a very versatile Linebacker, able to play anywhere on the field. He excels in the passing game but can also hold his own against the rush as well as getting after the quarterback

5. Deandre Levy: 93 Overall – 95 Play Recognition, 96 Tackling, and 96 Pursuit. Levy has flown under the radar the last few years, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a solid linebacker. He can run and cover almost any Running Back or Tight End in the league as well as can stuff the running game.

In comparison, last years top Outside Linebackers were Von Miller (96 Overall), Aldon Smith (96 Overall), Lavonte David (93 Overall), Justin Houston (93), and Robert Mathis (93 Overall). A few new faces join the top 5 with a few surprises as well. Both Jamie Collins and Khalil Mack graded higher according to Pro Football Focus as Outside Linebackers than what Deandre Levy and Terrell Suggs did. Not to take anything away from those players, as they are both solid. The other odd choice was having Von Miller as the top Outside Linebacker, especially after Justin Houston almost had a record breaking year in 2014.

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I've been a life long gamer going back to the days of Tecmo Super Bowl on the NES. I have continued to game all through school and college and into my adult life with staples such as Halo, Gears of War, Madden, NBA2K, and Battlefield while drinking some craft beer.
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